Overcoming Procrastination
You might know the familiar feeling. Maybe you’ve got a big project due, or a simple task, or even a workout. These actions may all be in line with your goals, they may even be things you want to do, but maybe you just don’t feel like it in that moment. So you put it off.
There’s still time. There’s always tomorrow. I work better under pressure. These may all be things you’ve told yourself. However, research has shown that procrastination is harmful to task performance, psychological well-being, and even our physical health. But worst of all, procrastination sabotages our own goals, success, and progress!
In the book, Solving the Procrastination Puzzle by Dr. Timothy A. Pychyl, he says, “When we procrastinate on our goals, we are basically putting off our lives…The most finite, limited resource in our lives is time…Why waste it running away from tasks that we want or need to do?…When we learn to stop needless, voluntary delays in our lives, we live more fully.”
Dr. Pychyl offers some actionable things we can do to get on with living full, meaningful lives, and realizing our goals:
Determine which delays in your life are procrastination. There will always be delays in life, “curve balls” or unexpected things that come up. These are not procrastination. Procrastination is the needless voluntary delay of an intended action despite the knowledge that the delay may cause harm. So make a list of all the tasks, projects, activities, or “things” in your life that you tend to procrastinate. Then write down any of the emotions or thoughts that come to mind when you think of each of these things. Do you not know where to begin? Do you feel silly trying to use new machines at the gym? etc.
Then next to each activity or task, note how procrastination has affected you—your happiness, goals, stress, health, finances, relationships, etc. What have been the costs of procrastination in your life?
If you want to strengthen a commitment to yourself, try thinking about how your goals align with your values. Next to your list of procrastinated activities/goals, add notes about why it’s important to get this thing done as well as the benefits of acting now instead of later.
Motivation ebbs and flows. If we don’t feel like doing something today, we will likely not feel like doing it tomorrow either. This is where implementation intentions come in. Create “If…then” mantras for each aversive task. For example, “IF I feel negative emotions associated with exercising, THEN I will stay committed and go put on my exercise clothes.”
Make a list of the typical excuses you would use to procrastinate something. Then create more “If…then” statements for when you’re faced with these excuses. “IF I think to myself ‘I’ve got plenty of time to complete this,’ I will catch myself in this self-deception or bias and THEN just get started on the task.”
These are not a cure-all, but consistent effort will pay off. By recognizing our goals/values and consciously identifying the ways we sabotage ourselves through procrastination we can become more self-aware. With self-awareness, we can start to beat out those habitual emotional corrections we make to avoid negative feelings (aka procrastination)! Hopefully some of these tips are helpful. For a more in-depth guide, check out Dr. Pychyl’s book.